Each year, approximately 350 people lose their lives while at work in California. And a recent study reveals a handful of occupations are responsible for the majority of these deaths.
Workers’ compensation experts generally agree that logging is one of the deadliest occupations in America. The profession came in first in the study that evaluated the deadliest jobs in California over a four-year period that started in 2012 and ended in 2016. Fifteen loggers lost their lives on the job during this time. The deaths and injuries suffered by loggers are often the results of falling trees and branches.
Aircraft pilots ranked second on the list of most deadly jobs in California over the measured time. Thirty of the nearly 13,000 pilots that worked in the state lost their lives on the job.
The transportation and construction industries also present a significant threat to the lives of workers. Heavy truck drivers, construction laborers, painters, tree-trimmers and roofers have jobs that pose a higher threat to their lives than other occupations.
California laws do more to protect farmworkers than most other states. However, heat-related deaths among farmworkers are a yearly occurrence. More than 100 farmworkers lost their lives while working from 2012 to 2016.
Forty-three California police officers lost their lives in the line of duty from 2012 to 2016. Many of these officers died in automobile accidents.
Other occupations that present a serious threat to the lives and health of Californians include taxi drivers, welders, painters and power line installers.
The lives of workers and their families can suffer devastation when an injury or death happens on the job. Families of injured or dead workers may benefit from a consultation with a workers’ compensation attorney.
